TNA ratings drop

[CubbyBr 0]

Last night they got another 0.9...actually rounded up from a .87. TNA doesn't seem any worse than a month ago? I honestly think a big reason to it is that Samoa Joe is not a credible champion who people will tune into watch. Especially after the way he's been buried for the last year.

[luke-o 0]

I wouldn't go as far as to say he's being buiried, but he certainly isn't being booked well. Granted he has 2 clean PPV wins under his belt, but that won't count for shit if he's constanly getting his ass kicked on Impact.

[NyqZoo 0]

I never understood why we were supposed to like a guy that didn't want to wrestle until he was paid more than anyone ever. I know TNA is supposed to be about characters and not just faces and heels, but the juxtaposition of everyone in the arena going apeshit over a fat guy that wants a huge contract for a ton of money confuses me as a viewer. In my opinion, they struck when the iron was sub-zero with Joe's title reign and their current situation may be no coincidence.

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

Well that, and it's becoming pretty obvious that Nash is gonna be Joe's next big fued.

 

And we all know what happens when Kevin Nash gets near a World Title scene.

[The Niggardly King 0]

That's weird... Joe is like TNA's best PPV draw... fucking weird.

[Jingus 0]

And we all know what happens when Kevin Nash gets near a World Title scene.

Yes. Yes we do.

 

There aren't really any compelling programs going on right now. Joe/Booker could be interesting, but they haven't laid any groundwork or buildup for it. They haven't even made a really big deal on Impact about Joe being the new champ. Most of the midcard is just floating in limbo, just wrestling random matches with no storyline. Tomko, Angle, and Petey are all hurt. (I know Petey ain't on their level, but he is still the X champ.) Steiner's endless angle with the briefcase title shot got suddenly cut short in a very non-blowoffy fashion and seems dead. Hell, the main storyline seems to be the Kurt/Karen/AJ love triangle, and really, does anybody give a fuck about that?

 

Also, look how the former ratings winners the Knockouts have fared. The crowd seemed willing to tune in, more than average, to watch good female wrestlers beating the crap out of each other. But as soon as the Pole Grind Twins became the dominant focus of the division and started shaving heads and winning matches, suddenly the chicks are no longer the highest rated part of the show.

[megaadvice 0]

Even if they produce the best TV ever the ratings will not improve to over 1.2/3.

[Hasbeen2 0]

What are the ratings for the other Spike shows?

[The Truthiness 0]

It's like I've been saying, Joe isn't "The Guy". He is bland and nobody takes him seriously.

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

I don't think people aren't buying Joe as champion as much as I don't know if his character is as popular as it could be. Like NyqZoo said, his big thing over the months before finally getting his title shot was whining over how much he was getting paid. Back when Joe first should've won the title, I really liked him a lot. I am not as big of a Joe supporter as I was eight months ago myself. I was watching the show the other night thinking about how that whining era really killed my interest off for him greatly and still has effects on him for me personally.

[cd213 0]

Jingus, you are correct about the Mid-card floating around in limbo, and that is the EXACT reason they need a secondary title. It does more then just have someone else hold a title. You can build stories around it, and the guys that would be vying for it might care more then they do now. As it's said, what does someone like Robert Roode or James Storm need to even care for. They know they will be in feuds, but for what? They aren't going to hold the World Title, at least not right now. Give them a reason to go out there and care.

[NyqZoo 0]

If they had another singles belt they would just give it to Kurt Angle.

 

 

...or give another one to Samoa Joe.

[Matt Young 0]

What are the ratings for the other Spike shows?

 

I looked and couldn't find the info, but I would imagine TNA is the 2nd highest first run show (I say first run to exclude Star Trek) after UFC programming.

[CubbyBr 0]

It's like Ive been saying, Joe isn't "the guy". He is is bland, and nobody takes him seriously.

 

Im gonna have to agree. Personally, I am a fan of Samoa Joe but I just don't think he's got the look or personality to be the main guy. I watched Lockdown with a somewhat casual fan who is a fan of WWE but also understands the psychology of wrestling and can understand what really goes on and what they're trying to accomplish on TV. And he just could not buy into Joe at all. His exact words were, "what's so special about a fat guy named Joe who is from Samoa?" This was after he laughed at the Samoan dancers for his entrance and his lame theme music.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Joe vs. Angle on Impact on 4/24, in the show that ended up wtih a 0.99 rating, gained 104,000 viewers for its peak rating of 1.12. It was the first time for a while that the main event of the show drew its peak rating. Shockingly, when used correctly, Joe can draw viewers.

[The Buzz 0]

Just from having watched him in ROH up until now, Joe is just more interesting when he's playing a monster/dominant guy rather than just another guy who can be outsmarted or beat down to build up the next match. I know you can't run that push 12 months out of the year every year, but you can still be dominant without killing everyones credibility.

[Silence 0]

People like Steiner calling Joe "fat" and him standing there taking it doesn't help his credibility either.

[The Truthiness 0]

Joe might need to work on his character, nobody wants to see a fat guy with no personality as champion.

 

 

People like Steiner calling Joe "fat" and him standing there taking it doesn't help his credibility either.

 

I've also been saying this for weeks.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Wait... I don't really watch TNA anymore so could someone explain to me how they've managed to kill their only legit homegrown draw? Because that takes fucking talent.

[Maztinho 0]

People like Steiner calling Joe "fat" and him standing there taking it doesn't help his credibility either.

 

 

Wait... I don't really watch TNA anymore so could someone explain to me how they've managed to kill their only legit homegrown draw? Because that takes fucking talent.

 

See the quote above yours for the answer.

[NyqZoo 0]

Step 1: Push a guy as an unbeatable monster for a year and a half.

 

Step 2: Get a washed up star from wwe in the twilight of his career and have him beat him in the pinnacle of Joe's career.

 

Step 3: Give Joe midcard feuds and an MVP type character that's supposed to be a face until nobody cares about him except TNA fanboys in the impact zone.

 

Step 4: Lose your TV deal once Joe becomes champion at the most heatless point possible.

 

 

I'll leave out the "Step 5: Profit!" joke. At least Russo will be out of a job again after all this.

[cabbageboy 0]

TNA has a problem in that there really aren't any compelling matches out there for any of the champions right now. Joe, Kong, and LAX are all very worthy champions in my view, but who exactly are they going to face? They can keep the Dudleys feud going in the tag division, but that's more of the same and there isn't much else on the horizon there in terms of team legit enough to win the belts. Joe has several fairly decent guys he could face but most of this stuff seems like TV main events rather than a PPV dream match main event (Booker, Christian, Roode, Rhino, Tomko, the list goes on and on). Kong is so dominant in the women's division that there isn't anyone who can beat her, which is why I want them to put Cheerleader Melissa on TV and set that feud up.

 

 

[Matt Young 0]

The problem with Joe is this- smarks love him, but the mainstream audience, the one responsible for the ratings, has been conditioned to the WWE standard of main eventers. They see a guy like Joe, who works his ass off but has a bad physique, and they write him off due to his body type.

[Maztinho 0]

Joe hitting his head on Vince's glass ceiling and he didn't even sign with him.

[luke-o 0]

I think I lost most of interest with Joe when he turned face. He is much better as a monster heel.

 

I like Joe, I think he's a great talent and is a worthy champion. But the booking surrounding him at the moment is terrible. It's like they want him to fail as champion.

[Hasbeen2 0]

That crowd doesn't help things. I'm sure most casual fans watching on TV are confused by the reactions.

[Old School 0]

People liked Samoa Joe when they still had his ROH run fresh in their minds and when he was new to TNA, in the X-Division, and putting on good matches with Styles and Daniels all while talking very rarely and carrying around a bloody towel. Now look at Joe. Beating up Christmas trees. Slapping cage door locks with a steel chair. Complaining about wanting money, not a title shot, then saying a title shot is all he cares about. Plus they should've had him win the initial feud with Angle. It really set Joe back and killed his momentum and by the time they pulled the trigger on him, it was too late.

 

I wouldn't blame the ratings drop on just Joe though. People aren't going to tune in to listen to Don West call Robert Roode and Eric Young matches forever. Or watch backstage interviews with Jeremy Borash to see how many times The Dudley Boys and Rhino can mention every company that isn't TNA.

 

Everytime TNA seems to be on the cusp of doing something right, they blow it. Just look at LAX. They could've been the hottest thing in wrestling. Now Konnan is suing TNA, Hernandez is running around being called "Super Mex" and they have "Salinas" running around doing...well, nothing. The biggest problem is that from week to week, nothing makes sense. The PPV's never matter because the outcomes don't matter.

 

Remember the "Fight for the Right" tournament? Just look at the second round. Nothing makes sense!

[cabbageboy 0]

I will agree about one thing with LAX: ditch the bimbo. They have Hector Guerrero as an actual manager now and there are enough women on the show as it is. Salinas adds quite literally nothing to their act and if anything detracts from the bad ass mentality. It would be like if the Gangstas had some chick with them.

[The Truthiness 0]

Taking Selina from the group is a bad idea.

[cd213 0]

Taking Selina from the group is a bad idea.

 

I agree. She is not used a lot in the Knockout Division, but it's good to have her with the group. I'm sure when they first brought her in, at the time there was no thought about having Guerrero with them. I think the bigger the group the better.